"You'll need paperwork, Mads."
"Oh."
Her disappointment is evident. "I know. I'm going to take care of it," I all-but growl, hating that I sound like such a grouch.
"In other words, I probably shouldn't hold my breath," Mads mutters, sounding like a kid who'd just lost all hope. "So much for my birthday present."
A curse leaves me, and Dani's eyes widen as her head pops out from beneath the towel.
"Daddy, you said a bad word."
"Yeah, well, sometimes Daddy's allowed." Especially when I can't catch a break coming or going. I've texted Pam and called twice, and she hasn't responded to my voicemail asking her to call me back to discuss Madi's presence like adults. Time to get a lawyer. For all our sakes.
"I gotta go, or I'm going to be late," Madi says.
Now her voice has taken on an edge, and the hopeful-driver tone is long gone. Replaced by depressed teenager with a chip on her shoulder.
"Go outside and ask Pierce to drop you off at the bookstore. Please," I add when I see clouds gathering in Madi's eyes. "Let her know Dani's staying home."
"Nooo! What about dance? My birthday! I wanna go!" Dani screams, scrambling to get out of the tub. "It's my birthday class!"
I turn in time to see Mads heading out the door as fast as her legs can carry her. I envy her that. Especially now when I feel trapped by the cast and Dani's mood swings. "Baby, you just spent the last thirty minutes crying because you said you didn't want to go."
"I do wanna go, but I want Lindsey! She's s'supose to take me and have cupcakes."
"I'll go with you." I'm not sure how I'll get us there other than asking Pierce to swing back and pick us up, and it hits me how much running around Lindsey did to keep us all on schedule. No wonder she exhausted herself. I hope she's actually resting and feeling better.
I try and fail to ignore the fact I miss her. The scent of her, the feel of her sitting next to me on the couch. Her laughter and the way her eyes light up when she smiles. Just her presence makes the house feel different, and I didn't realize that until now.
"But only the mommies stay," I hear Dani say in a too-soft, heartbroken voice. "Lindsey's not my mommy, but she's going to be a mommy, and she's like one because she takes care of me."
Suddenly everything makes a little more sense…
I'd convinced myself that distance was a good thing. The answer.
But listening to Dani cry for Lindsey, I wasn't so sure anymore.
Chapter 30
Lindsey
Since getting out of the hospital, I've done nothing but doze and rest because Bronwyn won't allow me to lift a finger. When I'm not sleeping, I stare out at the gorgeous view and the tourists taking advantage of their summer vacation. And…I miss them.
Bronwyn didn't hesitate when I asked to stay with her again. Though I sense she knows there is more to the story as to why I'm back under roof when Kace is still wearing a cast.
She doesn't pressure me for answers, though.
At least not yet.
And for that I'm grateful. I am, however, fully aware that it's only a matter of time before she asks the big questions and forces me to face the fact I've screwed up. Again.
Thankfully Bronwyn is distracted, though. This week is all about wedding prep, and Bronwyn is knuckling down with help from the Babes, Eliza Bellefonte-Hayes, a wedding planner, and her other new friends in Carolina Cove.
Am I envious?
Yes. Because in a short amount of time, Bronwyn has found a new family. Created it right from scratch. And while I suppose I'm a part of this group, I still feel like the outsider looking through the window at the party taking place inside.
Bronwyn and Eliza are huddled in conversation near the counter, going over last-minute things, while I sit in the reading area, sharing the space with an older gentleman who fell asleep while thumbing through a mystery.
